Chapter 224 Puppet "I'm here to kill you."

The fiery inferno ravaged the endless sea, and naturally it wouldn't spare the land either.

Jiang Yuhuo rode on the back of the Peng bird, looking down at the earth.

Crimson flames erupted in all directions, spreading across the land, leaving nothing but scorched earth in their wake. Amidst the thick smoke and raging fire, cities crumbled; those who could be seen fled in all directions like ants, while those who could not…

Demons and monsters were born.

"With all four seals broken, hehe... the power of the earth is fully released. What do you think will happen to everything that depends on it? At that time, it will probably not just be turmoil in the human world, but a completely different human world."

The conversation in the temple still echoes in my ears.

...This is the sin she committed.

On the earth, a new mountain peak has appeared, towering into the clouds. Its height makes it seem as if it will pierce through the heavens and the earth.

It appeared almost overnight and quickly grew to a level higher than Kunlun and Tianque, and is still growing at a visible rate.

Jiang Yuhuo recalled the words of the previous Sea Emperor.

"...Once the power binding the earth disappears, the passage between heaven and earth can be reopened. If there is a sufficiently powerful force to guide the earth, a new pillar of heaven may appear between heaven and earth...and the divine realm will no longer be out of reach."

At this moment, she finally understood what Jia Qianyang's true purpose was in coming all this way.

They used the power of the earth to help him become a god.

This, perhaps, is the method he found after leaving Tianque, a method that spares no expense.

And she was the one who paved the way for him.

Jiang Yuhuo gazed at the "pillar of heaven," and everything she had done in the past seemed increasingly like a joke. She alone had to repay the debts of her sins.

She patted the roc and headed towards the "Heavenly Pillar".

...

The heatwave raged beneath the Heavenly Pillar, and the surrounding ground continued to collapse and crack, emitting a deafening rumble. Deep within the cracks, subterranean fire surged and undulated like waves.

Twelve black-clad cultivators, cloaked in black, stood on the scorched earth. Twelve beams of spiritual light intertwined to form a protective barrier, preventing anyone from damaging the newly formed Heavenly Pillar.

A pale white soul figure silently watched the ever-growing mountain in mid-air; it was Jia Qianyang, who had lost his original body and should have been left to fend for himself.

From last night to today, the Heavenly Pillar has grown faster than Jia Qianyang had anticipated. He is increasingly convinced that heaven and earth attract each other, and that there should naturally be a passage between heaven and earth. It was only because the gods wanted to monopolize the divine realm that they destroyed the Heavenly Pillar and the passage for humans to ascend to the divine realm.

He wanted to ascend to that divine realm, become an immortal new god, make the Heavenly Pillar eternal, and make it no longer a pipe dream for immortals to become gods.

“It’s slowed down, huh…” A young man in purple robes gazed at the summit and sighed softly behind him.

The growth rate of the Heavenly Pillar has begun to slow down.

Once you exceed a certain stage, the higher you go, the more it seems like there's an unseen force preventing it.

However, Jia Qianyang was not worried. He poured the soul power from his staff into the fissure in the ground, like throwing in a spark. The fire in the fissure immediately began to surge and erupt, and the other fire peaks on the ground also erupted more and more fiercely. At the same time, the growth rate of the Heavenly Pillar accelerated again.

The soul power within the staff flowed continuously, and Jia Qianyang's gaze turned icy. "Don't underestimate the power of the earth. It was merely sealed away by those selfish gods before. Over the years, the power of the earth has accumulated long enough, and it's time to make those gods tremble."

He abruptly changed the subject, a smile playing on his lips. "Speaking of which, it's all thanks to your old flame. If it weren't for her, none of this would have happened so quickly."

When he led her to break the first earth-binding seal in Liyue Village, he thought that her usefulness had come to an end.

But she always surprised him.

Within a year, the remaining three seals were broken.

Li Mengbai scoffed, "Why talk about someone as stupid as her... You should thank me, it was I who found her in the crowd and brought her back into your sight."

Jia Qianyang's gaze fell on this junior of the clan. From a very early time, he had sensed the presence of his kind on him, not only the shared curse of blood, but also the same indifference and darkness from the depths of his heart.

They can cooperate.

“She was once your fiancée, after all. Didn’t you even have a blood transfusion for her? Because you didn’t want her to smell the scent of the Heavenly Pillar Marrow in your body… Now, the scent in your blood has faded so much that even I can barely smell it.”

He scrutinized Li Mengbai's face, his smile carrying a deeper meaning. "Why slander her like this now... In the Spirit-Sealing Array, although you received my guidance earlier, if it weren't for her, how could someone like Situ Xin have allowed you to dig out his heart and take the Heavenly Pillar Marrow from his heart? The Grandmasters of Tianque are not trash like Li Shichuan."

"Heh, fiancée..." The young man in purple robes had a pale face. He sneered, his eyes filled with venomous hatred. "She's nothing but a fickle, heartless woman who's been bewitched by the Feather Clan for a while."

This is true. Because of the Li family's ancestors, the curse that Yu Renyuan placed in the bloodline of the Li family makes them naturally more likely to feel favorably toward Yu Renyuan.

But goodwill aside, when it comes to actually using them, they will never hesitate.

Jia Qianyang nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer he had received. "Don't worry, once the Heavenly Pillar reaches the heavens and I ascend to the Divine Realm, the curse in the Li family's bloodline will be completely eliminated. From then on, your body and mind will be completely under your own control." He glanced down, "The same goes for them."

The twelve cultivators protecting him below were all members of the Li family.

Suddenly, a white rainbow-like sword light flashed from below, slashing sparks at the protective barrier.

Jia Qianyang landed.

In the distance, a red figure approached, sword in hand.

“It’s you.” Jia Qianyang narrowed his eyes, recognizing the person. “You still dare to come now? Are you here to die?” He shook his head with a smile. “You really aren’t very smart.”

"I'm here to kill you."

The newcomer's sword intent was fierce, and his voice was resolute.

"So you already know?" Jia Qianyang's smile deepened, and he even opened his arms.

"Yes, you've always wanted to kill me... but look at what you've done for me." His gaze swept past the person and fell upon the human world behind her, which was being eroded by the earth's fire. His eyes were filled with a smile. "You deserve immense credit for the Heavenly Pillar being able to rise again."

She certainly deserves some credit for this "natural disaster" on Earth.

Jiang Yuhuo's expression changed as expected. The blade in her hand flashed rapidly, slashing at the barrier one after another. Her sword energy was too fierce, forcing the twelve guardian cultivators to concentrate their entire bodies and energy on the barrier.

"Give up. Do you really think you can kill me?" Jia Qianyang said calmly.

"Back in Liyue Village, you wanted to kill me, but instead you brought the Feathered People's spiritual vein; in Moyu River, you wanted to find me, but instead you helped me break the Demon-Sealing Seal. I originally entrusted this task to Bai Hui, but you insisted on interfering; in the Li family's ancestral tomb, you thought you could kill me, but you only broke the last seal..."

"Tell me... are you trying to kill me, or are you helping me?" His smile held obvious mockery and smugness. "Even though you let that merman destroy my original form, thinking that would make me perish, you don't know that you've already helped me unlock the power of the earth..."

Although she already knew the truth, hearing Jia Qianyang's words one by one still felt like a huge boulder was pressing down on Jiang Yuhuo's heart, so heavy that she could hardly breathe. Her hands trembled, and her voice was almost squeezed out from between her teeth.

"I won't let you succeed again."

The sword light intensified, shooting forward like raindrops.

The monks protecting the Dharma were shrouded in cloaks, so their expressions were not visible, but their movements showed that they were struggling even more.

But then, tiny cracks began to appear on the light array barrier. Before they could be repaired, an even stronger surge of spiritual energy was activated again, attaching itself to the rain of swords. The cracks spread so fast that no one could react in time.

In an instant, the Dharma screen collapsed and disintegrated.

Jia Qianyang narrowed his eyes.

Her power has increased since the last battle in Xidu City.

Incredibly fast.

Did he receive some kind of opportunity?

Even so, it's far from enough to stop him.

The sword intent cleaved through mountains and seas, yet Jia Qianyang remained unscathed under the cover of the twelve cultivators.

Earth fire erupted across the land, and the celestial pillar continued to grow.

The twelve cultivators protected Jia Qianyang perfectly. Just as he was about to order them to join forces to attack Jiang Yuhuo, he suddenly realized that the twelve people's protective formation had been broken and their figures had shifted, and the Heavenly Pillar was now directly exposed in front of Jiang Yuhuo.

The red-clad female cultivator's sword intent quietly gathered.

Her goal is Tianzhu!

With a single strike, he was about to sever the newly formed Heavenly Pillar.

Jia Qianyang suddenly pulled on the silk thread in his hand, and in an instant, the twelve cultivators rushed forward without regard for their own lives, forcefully deflecting the sword attack.

The gatekeeper of the emperor deviated from its course, failing to strike the pillar of heaven, but instead shearing off an unnamed mountain peak in the distance.

Several cultivators who had shielded Jiang Yuhuo with their bodies were struck by the sword energy, suffering severe injuries and coughing up blood. They were barely able to continue resisting Jiang Yuhuo. But just then, the injured cultivators plummeted straight down, disappearing into the churning subterranean fire below. Their cloaks parted, revealing several faces of the Li family that Jiang Yuhuo recognized.

A hint of doubt flashed in Jiang Yuhuo's eyes. These people clearly still had the ability to protect themselves, so why did they have to do this?

Until she looked at Jia Qianyang's hand, where a transparent silk thread was connected, and at the other end of the thread were those cultivators wrapped in cloaks, whose faces could not be seen.

Puppet silk.

He truly trusted no one but what he could control.

He would not hesitate to abandon the wounded who could no longer protect him, even if they were his own people.

But at this moment, Jiang Yuhuo couldn't care less about anything else; what she needed to stop was this turmoil.

If one strike fails, then another.

Even if it means bleeding out the last drop of blood from his body, he will still have a sword to sever the pillar of heaven and completely shatter Jia Qianyang.

But she abruptly withdrew her next sword strike midway through.

"Senior brother..."

A cultivator hidden in the cloak revealed his face; it was none other than Wen Yizhan.

He held the puppet strings behind him, and his gaze toward Jiang Yuhuo was cold and indifferent, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.

Jia Qianyang handed Wen Yizhan a sword.

She learned most of her swordsmanship from Wen Yizhan, and she knew everything Wen Yizhan knew. Except for the ninth sword move, the two had no secrets about sword techniques. Therefore, when Wen Yizhan attacked her and she chose to dodge instead of countering, Wen Yizhan could predict her evasive action.

He struck again at the spot where she had fallen.

Wounded by the sword energy, Jiang Yuhuo collapsed onto the scorched, blackened earth, coughing up blood. She wiped it with the back of her hand, not blaming anyone, but simply looking at the cold-eyed man not far away, she called out to him, "Senior Brother..."

A purple hem quietly fell behind her. "It's no use. He's being controlled by the puppet threads. He's no longer your senior brother."

Upon suddenly hearing that familiar voice, Jiang Yuhuo stood up abruptly and turned around to see Li Mengbai standing behind her.

"So you really have been in cahoots with him all along!" Her eyes held no surprise, only resentment. "Your senior brother has long since left the Li family, why won't you let him go?"

“It’s not that I’m unwilling, he came to me himself.”

Li Mengbai looked at the clothes she was wearing, his gaze shifting. "Is this a wedding dress? You're getting married..." His gaze then turned to the hand holding the sword in her hand, and his expression turned cold. "You're already married."

Jiang Yuhuo made no attempt to hide it, saying, "So what if it is?"

"What else could I do?" Li Mengbai gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I told him that I had destroyed his original body, so he came to me seeking revenge."

Jiang Yu was furious. "I should have killed you back then."

“Be a good girl and listen to me this once, Jiang Yuhuo. This is not something you can stop... The Path to Heaven will definitely be opened. You don’t know what its power is…” His tone was calm, without his usual eccentricity, and it sounded like he was kindly advising him.

"She doesn't know, why don't you tell her?" Jia Qianyang's soul drifted to a spot not far away, and with a flick of his finger, Wen Yizhan returned to his side.

The moment this illegitimate child returned to the Li family, he knew he couldn't let him go. Using him to deal with Jiang Yuhuo was indeed the most suitable method.

Wen Yizhan kept staring at the red figure, her eyes flickering.

Jia Qianyang smiled faintly, "Tell her how many new souls the war between the Immortal Sect and the Great Yong created that I could use, enough to move the earth..."

Jiang Yuhuo's eyes were filled with shock. She looked at Li Mengbai and suddenly understood.

"It was you...you told them how to break the Blue Stone weapon, just to make them kill each other!"

Faced with the accusations, Li Mengbai showed no remorse, "Isn't this what you've always wanted? Only in this way can you kill that emperor."

"Fishing Light, I did it for you..."

Jiang Yuhuo finally broke down at this moment. What she thought was a just war turned out to be nothing more than another act of fulfilling Jia Qianyang's wishes.

So many immortals and mortals died... and the soul power of immortals was even stronger than that of mortals...

In order to obtain enough soul power, he first exploited the hatred between the two countries, advocating war in the name of the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and then used the Earth Blue Stone weapon to provoke hatred between the Great Yong Dynasty and the immortals...

Then, a war was waged, leading to an even greater catastrophe.

She remembered that the earthquake had started around that time...

Everything has a traceable pattern.

What role did she play in this cruel game?

First, break the four seals, then create carnage, offering him the power of countless human souls.

She was also a puppet, living under their control...

How ridiculous.

Jia Qianyang looked at the red-clad female cultivator on the ground, whose face was as pale as paper, and sneered.

"You've always wanted revenge, but you don't realize that hatred has blinded you. Jiang Yuhuo, can you still see clearly? Do you even remember where you came from?"

Jiang Yuhuo closed her eyes, her mind on the verge of collapse from these repeated shocks. Looking back on the path she had taken, she realized it was all wrong!

But Jia Qianyang wanted to add fuel to the fire at this moment.

“You don’t remember where this is, do you?” He pointed to the hill that Jiang Yuhuo had just leveled, his gaze moving across the scorched earth. “Look, that’s where the Blue Stone Mine is located, and over there used to be the Feather God Temple… That was the sacrificial site where the Li Yue Village people held their last night.”

Jia Qianyang shook his head and sighed, "Now that you've become a princess of the Great Zhou, you've even forgotten your own homeland."

This is Li Yue, her hometown that she hasn't dared to return to for many years.

A new pillar of heaven has risen in Liyue Village, but the village looks completely different from what it used to be.

The earthquake caused the mountains to collapse, and the subterranean fire scorched the land, leaving behind a desolate landscape.

The ground beneath their feet was still collapsing, sinking into rolling lava.

Jia Qianyang looked at her with pity. "Alright, now you should go down and join your people."

It's a pity, she was such a good weapon.

However, gods do not need weapons.

With a flick of his finger, Wen Yizhan, who was standing in front of him, flew away, the spirit sword in his hand emitting a chilling light.

Jia Qianyang watched quietly, certain that Jiang Yuhuo wouldn't harm Wen Yizhan. Even with Wen Yizhan's current high cultivation level, killing someone whose mind had already crumbled wouldn't be difficult for her.

But then the female cultivator in red slowly stood up, muttering to herself, "It's not like that..."

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Author's Note: There are probably two more chapters left in the main story to conclude. I guess... [Clown]